Army leaders arrested in Bolivia after failed coup attempt

In a dramatic turn of events, two top Bolivian army leaders, General Juan Jose Zuniga and Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador, were arrested on Wednesday after a failed coup attempt against President Luis Arce’s government.

The attempted coup, which lasted about five hours, saw soldiers and tanks take position in front of government buildings in Plaza Murillo, prompting global condemnation.

Zuniga, the dismissed army chief, claimed that the “armed forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy and not one run by the same few people for 30, 40 years.”

However, his attempt was thwarted, and he was captured and forced into a police car while addressing reporters.

President Arce, who fired Zuniga and Salvador, swore in new military leaders and urged the Bolivian people to “organize and mobilize against the coup d’etat in favor of democracy.”

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He also stated, “No one can take away the democracy we have won.”

Former President Evo Morales, who has been at odds with Arce, called for a “national mobilization to defend democracy” and accused the government of corruption and tolerating drug trafficking.

The international community, including the US, UN, and Latin American leaders, condemned the attempted coup and called for respect for democracy and the constitutional order.

The arrests of Zuniga and Salvador mark a significant development in Bolivia’s political crisis, which has been marked by polarization and internal conflict within the ruling MAS party.

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